Old Enemies

[Swix]

((Yes, I know, I have many unfinished stories [some of which I really should!] But this just sorta popped in my head ^_^. It runs parallel to Ssriskiss, for reasons that shall soon become obvious ))

A slender figure watched the Consortium transport vessels odd trajectory into the atmosphere, from an unnatural rise in the earth a fair distance away. The slender figure was draped in a silver cloak, pulled up over the elongated head against what the figure considered to be cold winds, though to most humans it would have been quite pleasant. The slender figures tail, with the end a stump, twitched as the impassive creature saw the vessel barely avoid crashing into a building, before it headed on a direct collision course with a tree and stopped abruptly.

"Show offs" the figure murmured to itself through lips that could never smile, as four thin arms pulled the cloak tighter about the body. The figure continued to watch, staying stock still, not moving or saying a word for several long minutes until more transports came down out of the sky. The figure gave the impression that, if it had the muscles to do such a thing, it would have frowned at such a display as it beheld. "Interesting" the figure muttered to itself once more, with more of a feminine, if serpentine tone to it than before.

The figure felt and heard clicks and rustles nearby her, to her side, but initially dismissed it as a member of the local wildlife. The notion disappeared quickly after the unmistakable noise of a two-way radio starting up, to translate an entirely alien language.

"Isn't it?" said the radio, and the original slender figure turned a slender head to behold the creature now next to her. This creature was green in colour, bar the completely black, large insect like eyes on the large round part that passed for it's head. The two way radio was attached to the broad neck, and under that the plant became split into hundreds of vine like limbs.

"Endorphine" said the slender figure, recognising the banished Krkrln at once not by any physical features, but by his outdated translator. Krkrln technology had come a long way since this one had been outcast.

"Kheesth" the plant creatures two-way radio replied, after Endorphine had listened to the translation and replied in his kinds dialect of clicks and rustles. Kheesth stuck out like a sore thumb to the plant, her voice vibrations and the fact she was one of very few Summoners helped him immensely.

Both Tezcan Summoner and banished Krkrln regarded one another with thoughtful looks in their eyes, not saying anything for what seemed like an eternity. Then the silence was broken by Endorphines speaking, the two-way radio taking a short time to catch on. "I did not expect to see you here" the radio said.

"Nor I you" Kheesth replied, her scales dotted orange with puzzlement and silver with mild surprise. "nor them. What are you going to do?"

"What do you mean?" the Krkrln enquired of the Tezcan, who if she could read plant body language would have seen he was confused.

"Those ships are Consortium, an alliance of which the Krkrln are part of" Kheesth told Endorphine, not kindly, but politely. She'd never thought she'd be seeing him again this soon...

The Krkrln blinked both large eyes slowly before replying, any hint of emotion within the sentence was lost in translation. This, Kheesth considered, was a shame. "I claim right of-" the two-way radio cut out, trying to translate the word Endorphine had just said and failing miserably. Hearing what just happened, the Krkrln tried again "I claim right of 'I was already here before you'" the two way radio translated, far too loosely. "I was here before they arrived, I am not in Krkrln territory, so I am not violating the terms"

Kheesth nodded her serpentine head once, then they fell into an uncomfortable silence once more as they regarded each other. This time, Kheesth spoke "I can't say it's good to see you"

"The feeling" the plant replied "is mutual" Endorphine paused, on purpose, his clicks and rustles falling silent and making the Tezcan somehow feel more uncomfortable. Eventually the tell-tale noises of the Krkrln dialect could be heard and the radio whirred to life once again "I know what you did"

[Swix]

Kheesths surprised silver spots grew and multiplied, as did the puzzled orange ones. Thanks to this revelation by the sentient plant, the Tezcan Summoners scales showing her emotion could have been said to over the silvery grey cloak she wore about herself, currently with the hood of the material pulled over her serpentine head.

"Is that so?" the Summoner eventually replied, her reptilian mind trying to go over all the details she knew about this particular Krkrln. Why would the plant say something like that to her, now? "Be careful where you spread that"

The Krkrln listened to the translation into his language, blinking both large black eyes deliberately slowly as he himself brought his own thoughts to bear. The Krkrln took what the animal Tezcan considered to be an interminably long time to answer, and Kheesth had all but made her mind her mind up to leave as her scales now added hints of red to show her irritation. Sometimes being a member of a species that showed emotion through their skin colour was a disadvantage.

"Why?" the Krkrln asked the Tezcan before she could begin to leave. Just one simple question, but he'd known her long enough to know he was pushing his luck with just that one word.

Kheesths green eyes seemed to become more intense as she stared the Krkrln straight back into his impenetrable black stare, the Summoner knew Endorphine was baiting her, and on purpose. He couldn't possibly know... or could he? If there was a creature in her universe that could figure that out, Endorphine was definitely a candidate. "Because" Kheesth answered "that knowledge is dangerous"

"Since when" the Krkrln answered quickly, his two-way radio having to catch up with his sentence and do it quick "have you cared for my safety?" Endorphine knew that his translator wasn't advanced enough to show he was being sarcastic, but Kheesth should get the point. If not she wasn't as smart as he'd been giving her credit for. "Is that a threat?"

"Perhapsss" Kheesth replied, hissing in her increasing annoyance "but no-one will believe you" The Summoner took comfort in knowing this one statement of truth, no-one would believe an outcast like Endorphine, and there was no way for him to tell when his exile would be up until it was. The plant, having come face to face with an old enemy, could even be grasping at straws.

Endorphine blinked again, this time, one eyelid partially overtook the other. If the outcast Krkrln had toes, he'd be familiar with the phrase 'stepping a toe over the line' and would know that's precisely where he was headed. "Is that a threat or not?" Endorphine plodded stubbornly on with the determination of growing roots "I have heard your kind say you are evil, you care only for yourself. I wonder if they are right"